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Weekend prison visits at all correctional facilities in Florida for Saturday (9/9) and Sunday (9/10) are canceled. The action comes in the wake of the arrival of Hurricane Irma.

Florida inmates help fill sandbags for local residents in the wake of Hurricane Irma, which has shut down all weekend prison visits in the state. Image Source: Bloomberg

The Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) explained that the plan is aimed to enhance the safety of inmates under its protection. Other proactive measures include providing 24/7 assistance to the detainees.

FDC brought in additional water and food supplies to all the state’s prison facilities ahead of the storm. If prisoner evacuations are required, the new housing locations will not be revealed at that time.

The Florida weekend prison visits suspension includes the following state facilities:

All major correctional institutions

All annex facilities

All work camps

All community release centers

A notification will be issued if evacuations become necessary. Department staff will confirm the evacuation once it’s complete. However, inmate locations will only be shared on the FDC’s official website about 24-hours after the emergency relocation.

Rick Scott, Florida Governor, also recommended all state offices be closed in preparation for the expected tropical storm known as Hurricane Irma. The implementation will include every state office in Florida’s 67 counties.

FDC Has Banned Weekend Prison Visits Before

This is not the first time the Florida DOC has suspended prison weekend visits. In late August, the FDC canceled all weekend visitations. The reason given to prisoners and their loved ones was… possible disruptions which were expected to happen.

Also in August, FDC canceled weekend prison visits at Florida’s Jackson Correctional Institution. And, unlike the other incidences, the state did not give the reason for the prison visit cancellation.

During evacuations, prisoners were also given various amenities (word used by officials) including water and food, just to name a few. But, are food and water really considered amenities? Or, are these actually necessities?

The inmates were transported by Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) buses, according to a TDCJ statement made on August, 26. Correctional officers accompanied the offenders among other members of staff who worked to assist in the Texas inmate relocation process. The prisoners were then taken to correctional facilities in East Texas.

Evacuated inmates in Texas were not allowed prison visits from loved ones while in their designated receiving units. However, they were authorized to use telephones to communicate with their prison loved ones.

Daniel Peterson is a young professional with diverse experience in content writing and content management. He has a strong blog writing background, and runs his own e-commerce partnership business. Daniel currently writes news articles for prison loved ones on the Prison Rideshare Network.

Daniel Peterson is a young professional with diverse experience in content writing and content management. He has a strong blog writing background, and runs his own e-commerce partnership business. Daniel currently writes news articles for prison loved ones on the Prison Rideshare Network.

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